It Takes Two to Tango!
by Lucky and Witty Number18
Summary: Heather is furious that she doesn't get her prize at the end of TDWT, but she faces a mystery when she finds out that Alejandro has disappeared as well. Despite her pride, everyone's favorite villainess go looking for answers. Lots of mystery and romance!
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Hey everybody, it's Lucky! I know a lot of you have been waiting for my next chapter of Spooktacular, but I promise you it WILL be up by Friday or even before. Anyway, since today is Valentine's Day, I wanted to celebrate with the beginning of a love story between everyone's favorite baddies, Alejandro and Heather. This story takes place right after the end of Season 3 and will deal with Heather trying to find out what happened to Al. At first this idea was a light oneshot discussed with my friends on formspring, but I think I am actually developing a complicated narrative for this one. This story is not related to my other AleHeather story, which has been discontinued, but I can assure that it is just as good and chock full of mysterious, danger, tension, and most importantly (especially today) romance. So sit tight kiddies and enjoy the ride!

**EDIT: HAVE FIXED TYPOS AND TRIED TO MAKE THINGS MORE COMPREHENSIVE**

Disclaimer: I don't own these people

It takes two to tango.

Chapter One: Up to Now

**Present Time:**

The tires of Heather's brand new crimson red Mercedes Benz screeched into the hospital's parking lot. She emerged from the car with a scowl on her face and made her way to the entrance. Instead of her usual revealing top, shorts, and wedge heels, she instead wore her sunglasses, a deep maroon sweater, dark brown capris, and black high heels.

Total Drama World Tour had ended towards the end of summer, and in the last few weeks the air had gotten colder and the leaves had begun to brighten into golden hues.

**A few days ago:**

Even though Heather had won World Tour, Ezekiel's animalistic attack had cost Heather her winnings. She had tried to sue to the show and Chris Mclean, but he had just smugly waved the release forms she had signed at the beginning of the season. Apparently, the show was not responsible for awarding her the prize if the money had been lost during the competition. Heather had fumed, cursed, and had been inches from clawing Chris's face off with her perfectly manicured nails, but there was nothing she could do.

She had of course thrown a temper tantrum once she had returned home, so her daddy had bought her the Mercedes as a "feel better" present. Sure her parents had to dip into her little brother Damien's college fund, but the kid was not that bright in her opinion anyway, so she felt no qualms in taking the car.

Interestingly enough though, when Heather had threatened to sue the show, Chris had merely laughed and said that Alejandro had already tried but had failed. Heather could recognize an evil grin in a heartbeat, having perfected her own since she was in middle school, so she almost flinched when one spread across Chris's face as he said, "Besides Heather, he lost a lot more than you did."

Heather had been "escorted" out of the Chris's dressing room after that point, but his words still rang in her ears for days after their meeting. Come to think of it, Heather had not seen Alejandro since the finale when she had kicked him off the volcano.

Heather had barely escaped the eruption and had almost been crushed by a huge rock that had fallen into the ocean from the volcano. Luckily the boulder had missed, but she was still exhausted and disoriented from the whole ordeal and slept most of the way home from Hawaii. When the cast had returned to Canada, Heather had been so hell bent on getting her prize, she hadn't care what the other cast mates did.

However, Chris's words haunted Heather, and no matter how she tried to put it out of her mind, she eventually found herself looking throughout various directories, trying to find Alejandro's contact information. The Internet and the phone directories yielded nothing and finally Heather had to swallow her pride and ask the other Total Drama cast mates if they knew anything. Most of them did not even return her calls or emails, though LeShawna did send an email reply with a picture of the same hand gesture she had shown Heather during the World Tour finale.

Heather was at her wits end, not used to doing so much work for no apparent reward. It had began to take a toll on her health, were her skin became blotchy, her hair lifeless, and her eyes slightly reddened. Heather cursed over her fading looks and asked herself why she was putting herself through such torture for Ale-jerk-dro.

She had rejected him during the finale and that was that. She had chosen money, not love. She had made the intelligent choice, hadn't she?

Heather's mother noticed the decline in her daughter's appearance recently and had offered to take her out for pedicures. Heather mother feared Heather almost as much as her father did, but she had been the one who had taught Heather that one's appearance was a direct reflection of their likelihood to succeed. Besides, Heather seemed much less irritable when she was being pampered.

Heather had agreed and throughout the whole car ride and even when they had actually gotten into the salon, she had complained to her mother about how fruitless her search had been and how the latino creep didn't even deserve this type of effort.

Heather's mother smiled and actually let forth a giggle and Heather testily asked her what she found so amusing. Heather's mother sympathetically took her daughter's hand into her own and said, "Sweetie, if you're going to this much trouble to check up on him, obviously you don't think he's not worth it. In fact, you must really care about this boy if you would let your nails reach this state."

"Mother, please! You saw the finale didn't you? I threw that jerk off of a volcano!"

"I also noticed that you kissed him. Oh my, did THAT bring back memories! That's just how your father kissed me on our first date. Hm, I guess that's the reason all his friends called him First Baseman even though didn't he play baseball."

Heather paled at her mother's recollections and promptly grabbed a garbage can to puke into. After she finished, she turned to her mother and said, "Never speak of THAT again."

Heather's mom chuckled, stroked Heather's hair, and said, "Heather, I've seen you face some of the most dangerous challenges on television for a million dollars, but I honestly think the thing you're most scared of may be your own feelings."

"Oh yeah, Mom? And what could that loser offer me that a million dollars could not?"

"He could make you _feel_ like a million dollars dear. That's the way your Daddy has always made me feel, and I love him for it."

Heather remained silent, but she contemplated her mother's words. Suddenly her phone began to ring, and Heather answered, "Hello?"

"Hello Heather. It's me, Courtney," the CIT said in a rather nonchalant tone.

"Ugh, what do you want loser?"

"Hmph, well if you are going to take THAT tone, then I guess you really don't want to find out about Alejandro."

"ALEJANDRO? You know something? Tell me right now!"

"Not now Heather. I prefer to have these types of conversations in person. Let's meet at Maple Leaf Park tomorrow, and we'll talk more about it there."

"Damn it Courtney! Why can't you tell me now?" shouted Heather, but the line had already gone dead.

Heather growled in frustration and slumped down into seat. Heather's mom looked down at her daughter in concern and said, "Bad news dear?"

"No Mother, but after we're down here I need to pick up some new clothes. I think I'm finally going to get some answers tomorrow."

A/N: So what do you guys think? Heather revealed on the show that she was close to her mother, so even if she is a terror at home I wanted her mom to be a spiritual guide for her. Love your mommas children, it will be worth it in the end. So what is Heather doing at the Hospital? What did Chris mean (for those who have seen the finale, I think you have an idea)? What does Courtney know? What will happen tomorrow? Find out in the next chapter of It Takes Two to Tango! ALSO PLEASE LEAVE YOUR REVIEWS! I REALLY LOVE THEM AND MAY PUT CHP 2 UP TONITE IF I GET 5!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow, six review in one night. You guys are so fantastic, it's unbelievable. To freakazoid123; thanks Danielle, I may have written this story but you inspired it. To anonymous rex; I will, I like this idea too much to let it go. To Pyroartist; and thank you madam for proving what an awesome reader you are. To Codykins; thank you. To fifthreviewer, they are interesting, aren't they. To Princess Absahail, your reviews are always the best.

Alright folks, onto the next chapter:

Disclaimer: I don't own the Total Drama series or characters in anyway... pity, isn't it?

Chapter 2: The Truth Hurts

**Early the next day:**

Heather arrived at the park in her new ensemble and lowered her sunglasses as she scanned the park for Courtney. She saw the freckled brunette sitting on a park bench in an olive peacoat, black boots, beige slacks and a matching beret. She was nursing a coffee and surprisingly, sitting next to her was Sierra, who was slurping on her own drink piled high with whipped cream. Sierra was in a brown trench coat, a long purple dress that went all the way to her ankles, and had a printed scarf fashionably tied around her head to cover the little hair she had managed to regrow since the finale. Sierra waved when she saw Heather and beckoned her over.

Heather made her way to the bench, sat down, and said, "Since when do you two hang out with each other?"

Courtney frowned and said, "Nice to see you too Heather," before Sierra reached over and handed Heather a drink.

Heather hesitated, so Sierra piped up and said, "Don't worry, as the number one Total Drama fan, I know your fav drink is a double dark decaf no fat mocha loca zinger!"

Heather raised an eyebrow and turned to Courtney, but the CIT just shrugged and said, "Eh, just be grateful that she's on good terms with us. I'd personally hate to see what she'd do with our info if she wasn't."

"That still doesn't answer my question about why both of you are here. I'd also like to know why you had to wait to tell what has been going on with Alejandro until today rather than over the phone last night."

Courtney sighed and jerked her thumb towards Sierra and said, "She actually has most of the details about Alejandro, though I do know the basics of the situation."

"Why would she know anything?"

Sierra seemed to take offense at Heather's question and retorted, "Umm, duh! Like I've said a bajillion times. I'm the Number One Total Drama Fan. It's like my job to know stuff about you guys, and since Alejandro was on the show, naturally I've also started collecting info on him as well."

"So you where's he's been since the end of the show?"

"Not so fast, Heather!" said Courtney with a sharp look in her eyes. "Before Sierra and I tell you anything, we want to know why exactly have you been searching for Alejandro?"

"And why should I tell you two anything?"

"Because we have the info you want Heather, and I personally NEVER make a decision without knowing all the possible factors."

"Like dating certain punks?" shot back Heather rather nastily.

Courtney looked like she was going to strangle Heather on the spot, but Sierra turned to Heather and said, "You really shouldn't be giving relationship advice. Especially since you kicked your boyfriend off of a volcano."

"He wasn't my boyfriend! The only reason I'm even here is because of what Chris said!"

Both Sierra and Courtney's eyes grew wide and they turned towards each other before turning back to Heather and simultaneously saying, "What did he say?"

"Just something about Alejandro losing more than I had, but that doesn't make sense. I lost a million dollars. Alejandro couldn't lose anything more valuable than that!"

Courtney looked towards Sierra, who in turn looked towards Heather with pitying eyes and said, "Apparently he could."

A fearful look came onto to Heather's face as she asked, "What do you mean?"

Sierra sighed and said, "Immediately after World Tour, I started to do a post-season follow up on my blog. I called everyone from the show to get their opinions of the season and also asked if they would donate any memorabilia to my online charity auction. I believe when I called your house your little brother answered and told me to write that you were a chronic toenail biter and had severe body odor problems. Needless to say I was embarrassed when I realized he may not have been a reliable source of info, but don't worry, that particular post only got one million hits."

Heather's face turned red with rage and she was about to start spewing a stream of curses when Courtney elbowed Sierra and said, "Can we please get back to Alejandro?"

"Oh right. Hehe, sorry. Anyway, I also tried to find Alejandro's contact information, but he wasn't listed in the usual sources. I eventually went to the studio to see if they had it, but they turned me away. At first I thought it was because they were trying to prevent another restraining order like the one Cody-kins had originally wanted to file against me, but after I checked with other Total Drama fans online, nobody else had seen or heard from Alejandro since the end of World Tour. So finally I went to visit Chris to see if he knew anything."

"And he actually agreed to help you?" asked Heather skeptically.

"Actually, no. He had his bodyguards toss me out of the building, but before they did so, I had overheard Chris talking on his phone about wanting to produce a new show called _Reckless Robot Rampage_! The premise of the show would be that technology enthusiasts would create fighting machines and have them challenge Chris's robot, the Total Drama Bot."

"But what does all this have to do with Alejandro?" said Heather, who was quickly growing weary of Sierra's blathering.

Courtney actually shuddered at that point and said, "Don't rush her. Trust me, even I didn't believe it when she told me the first time."

Heather turned back to Sierra who continued, "I snuck back into the building and followed Chris. Chef had arrived and the two were heading down into the basement of the studio. They went into this dark room and Chef pulled down a switched that lit up the whole place, so I hid behind some a rack of costumes that was close by. The room turned out to be a giant arena! Anyway, Chris pushed a red button and a hatch opened to reveal the Total Drama Bot. A hatch on the opposite side of the arena opened to reveal a much bigger robot with flamethrowers and sharp blades. The bigger robot charged at the Drama Bot and started to attack it. Surprisingly, the Drama Bot was able to avoid the blades pretty well, but when the bigger bot started using the flamethrower, the Drama Bot froze up and started cowering. The bigger bot took advantage of this and brought down the blades and began hacking away at the Drama Bot. Chris pushed the red button and the big robot stopped, but enough of the Drama Bot had been hacked away that I could see that there was someone INSIDE of it!"

"What do you mean there was someone inside of the robot? And what does this have to do with Al…" Heather paused for a moment before a look of pure horror came upon her face. "You can't possibly mean…"

Sierra did not look at Heather but stared straight at the ground. She sighed and remembered Chris's exact words, "'Well Al, I must say I'm disappointed, and you were doing so well too…' Then the face plate of the Drama Bot fell of and underneath… was Alejandro."

A/N: Oh geez, Sierra just dropped a major bomb on Heather. What is Chris's evil plan? How does Courtney fit into all this? What will happen next? Only time (and I) will tell, SO READ AND REVIEW AND STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER OF IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO !


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey people, how ya'll doin'? I recently updated my Spooktacular and got some pretty good feedback from that, but I've also noticed that this story is gaining a bit of support as well, so I've decided to give the people what they want and update. In response to my reviewers: To D0ll: Hey Erica! Glad you're liking this new story. I always felt bad about abandoning that last one, but I feel this plot is much easier for me to wrap my mind around. I'm surprised no one has thought of the fighting robot idea, but then again I've actually built and completed in science fairs with robots (it's a hobby of mine), so I guess my brain naturally made the association. More people should have Courtney and Sierra interact, they're like peanut butter and jelly, complete opposites, yet go great together. I really think that is the type of personality Heather's mother would have, an odd combo of caring yet vain. I think I'll feature her later in the story, to help Heather work out some issues, and for the record, I love rambling reviews. To "as": Hi there, interesting idea for a fanfic. This is really specific, so I don't think it's best if I write a story just like this, because this how you envision the characters, so I might take it in a direction you might not appreciate rather than if you had written this story yourself. One thing that also stood out to me with this review is that you noted that most of the children would look like duplicates of their parents, but would have different personalities. I believe this would be similar to reimagining to the characters and seeing how those new traits would how affected the original plots and relationships. To Luke: My response to this is similar to the one for "as," so I don't think I'll repeat myself. To Freakazoid123: The fact that I could make you smile means a lot more to me than a nice review, because in the end you can't remember all the words someone once said, but you will always remember their smile :). To Sierra the Crazy Girl: One update, hold the onions! To chris tdwt fan: Glad you're liking it. I don't think 'scared' will exactly describe Heather when she's finally reunited with Al. To alejandroheather fan: I just hope something similar happens in the upcoming seasons! To DCLove4ever: Really? I'm flattered, but you should check out Princess Absahail, Strix Moonwing, and D0ll, just to name a few. They all have some great Total Drama stuff that continuously inspires me. Also, you rock out loud! To Codykins 65: 72 pleases? Now that's what I call dedication. To ilovegreen12: What do all the o's mean? Damn, now you've gotten me curious! To frp: Whazzup Frappuchino! I like your review because it brings up a valid point, but I don't think the extra suspense was needed. Glad you like and I'll talk to you soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but this what might happen if I did.

Chapter 3: Facing the Truth

Heather stared at Sierra and processed what she had just said. She seemed frozen for a second, but then she slowly rose from the bench and began walking away from Sierra and Courtney. Courtney looked confused and shouted, "Heather? Where are you going? Sierra's not finished! Heather?"

Heather turned around, and stared at the other two girls with a look of pure contempt. She said in a low voice, "You honestly expect me to believe all that? I always knew that Sierra was certifiably insane, but if you really believe her as well Courtney, then you're no better than she is. I've had enough of this nonsense."

"But it's the truth, I swear!" cried Sierra, looking disheartened that Heather didn't believe her.

Courtney rose from the bench and stood directly in front of Heather and said, "Think about it Heather. We're not on the show anymore, there is no reason any one of us would even bother talking to you, much less make up something like this. I know this isn't your strong suit, but you are going to have to just trust me and Sierra here."

Heather looked directly into Courtney's eyes. During the show, Heather had learned to read her opponents by checking out their expressions, like Cody getting that goofy grin whenever Gwen was around, Courtney eye's looking determined whenever they were competing, and Alejandro's little smirk that appeared on his face whenever he knew one of his schemes had worked. Heather would never want to admit it, probably not even to herself, but she had grown fond of that smirk and had always felt a type of rush when it graced Alejandro's handsome face.

As Heather stared into Courtney's eyes, she didn't see determination or even malice, but something unfamiliar. It took a while for Heather to find a word to describe it but when she did, she almost didn't believe it herself. Gentleness. Courtney was by no means a gentle person, and if she saw anything or anyone as a threat, she would face them head-on, but at that moment Courtney was not looking at Heather as a threat.

To Heather, this was almost as bad as malice, if not worse. For Courtney to hate Heather either meant that she regarded Heather was her equal, if not her superior. For Courtney to sympathize with Heather showed just how vulnerable Heather was at the moment. Heather wanted to run and forget about Courtney, Sierra, and the rest of those Total Drama buffoons, but then Alejandro's smirk appeared again in her mind. That devilish little grin that summed up his whole essence. That smirk... that boy... was the reason she was here in the first place, and somewhere deep inside herself, Heather knew she would regret not hearing Sierra and Courtney out.

Heather sighed and made her way back to the bench. Courtney followed and the two girls sat down. Heather turned to Sierra and said, "I'll hear what you have to say, and I promise I won't interrupt until you're finished."

Sierra nodded gratefully and continued, "At first I didn't even recognize that it was Alejandro. He looked almost completely different, his skin was a burnt and charred, most of his hair was gone, and his arms and legs were all twisted!"

Heather shuddered at the mental image and Courtney shot Sierra a stern look, silently telling her to go easy on the more gruesome details.

"Uh, but his voice was still fine. Well, at least once the face plate fell off. When was he fighting the bigger robot, he did yell a few times, but when he did, it sounded all deep and gravelly. Anyway, after the fight he began to yell in Spanish. I don't speak the language very well, but I guess that there may have been some not-so-nice words mixed in there. Chris either also didn't understand or didn't care, because he began to talk Chef about how they would need to find some way of getting Alejandro to handle the flamethrowers because he said 'it's just not a show without something being blown up,' and then they wheeled him out of the room in what was left of the robot suit. Chris told Chef to lock the door after they had put Alejandro back wherever they had gotten him from, so I knew I had to get out of there fast."

"So do you even know where he is?"

"...No, the only thing I managed to grab before I snuck out was this." Sierra reached over to Courtney, who handed her a large white canvas tote bag. From inside the bag, Sierra pulled out what looked like a mask. Upon further inspection, Heather realized it was the face plate from the Total Drama Bot. It covered in dents and ends were tarnished, as though they had come been exposed to flames. It exactly matched the description of what Sierra had described happening to Alejandro.

Heather turned to face Sierra, but she hung her head in shame and said, "It was the best I could do. I had to hide so that they won't see me and even managing to get out of there with that thing took all my years of cody-stalking to not get caught."

Courtney chimed in, "Sierra immediately came to me after the whole ordeal because she knew I was the most legal savvy out of the cast. She also knew that I had gone through all the paperwork and release forms thoroughly before Season 3, so she was hoping I could find some way to prove what Chris was doing was a breach of the standard contract, if not downright illegal. After I first heard the story, I was ready to call Funny-Farm and have them take her away in a straightjacket, but then she showed me the face plate. It matched with what she had said, but I still did some research. There was no available information about Alejandro online and like Sierra, the studio won't help me either. Truth be told Heather, when you said Chris said something about Alejandro, we actually thought you may have had some concrete evidence that would reveal exactly what Chris has been up to."

Heather shook her head and said, "I didn't know anything. I had tried all the same sources as you two, but they were dead-ends. This is the first lead that I've had since I've started my search and even with this mask-thing I'm still finding this all hard to believe."

Sierra took the face-plate from Heather and slipped it back into the tote before asking, "Heather, why exactly were you looking for Alejandro? Didn't you reject him during the season finale?"

Heather's face became quite hot and she answered quickly, "It's just what Chris said made me curious about what happened to that Latino Loser, that's all."

A sly smile crept onto Courtney's face as she said, "But from how you were just talking, it sounds like you've been searching for him for a while. For someone who was 'just curious,' you went through an awful lot of hard work."

"Oh _can_ it Ms. CIT! It's none of your business why I do the things I do! Besides, why are you even involved in all this?" Heather spat as she remembered Alejandro wooing Courtney towards the end of Season 3.

Courtney seemed shocked by Heather's sudden ferocity, but then her face became serious as she realized what Heather must have been thinking. She said calmly, "Forget it, Heather. It's not like that. He confessed to _you_ in the finale remember? After Season 3 ended, I realized the only reason I took an interest in him was because I still upset about my breakup from Duncan. If I had been in a rational state of mind I would have never be swayed by that big-tongued burro..."

Heather shot Courtney an annoyed glance and Courtney attempted to save grace by saying, "...not that there's anything wrong with big tongues. Uh, At the very least I'm sure it would be entertaining to watch him gargle."

All three girls took a moment to conjure the image of Alejandro gargling before they shuddered simultaneously and Courtney said, "Eh, forget I said that. Anyway, after years of abuse on that show, do I really need a reason to dig up dirt on Chris? I've wanted to get revenge on that lout ever since my lawyers fell through with my lawsuit against the him and the show. Furthermore, if he's getting away with doing this to Alejandro, I'd hate to find out what other little surprises he hid in the rest of our contracts. "

Heather looked towards the other two girls and said, "So all we have are Sierra's account of what happened and this face plate?"

Sierra responded, "Basically, and I don't have the best relationship with the police after they caught me rifling through Cody's garbage looking for momentos. Also, the arena was very deep under the studio and I'm not even sure where they're keeping Alejandro."

"So we've got nothing," groaned Heather as she threw her hands up in frustration.

"Not necessarily," said Courtney, whose eyes flashed as an idea came to her, "We're just going to need some help."

A/N: Believe it or not, this was originally going to be two tiny chapters, but then I saw how abysmally small the first half looked in comparison to the author's note, so I toughed it out and typed the whole damn thing. I like the content of this chapter, as it takes on a more serious tone, but it was still a pain to crank out and I'm depressed by how long it took. The beginning of this chapter came to me when I realized that if Sierra told Heather all of this on the show, there was no way she would believe it. The face plate has a bit of symbolism into what Alejandro has been reduced by Chris and it's the one shred of evidence Sierra could offer Courtney and Heather. I could totally see Heather having some hostility towards Courtney if she still believed Courtney was crushing on Al, but they are going to have to work together so I felt it was best just to get that out of the way. I was questioning whether I should include the idea of Al gargling, but since this chapter is so serious, I decided why not, because most of the other humor in this chapter was generic Sierra stalker jibes. A little fun fact: My Twin Bro WITTY was the inspiration for the gargling idea. He can gargle Beethoven's 5th Symphony pretty damn well! So WHO do you think Courtney's going to call up to help them (I'll give you a clue, it ain't the A*team). LEAVE YOUR GUESSES ON WHO THE GIRLS RECRUIT, CRITIQUES IN A REVIEW TO TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK, AND STAY TUNED AS THE GIRLS WORK ON A PLAN TO HELP AL!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you guys for all the reviews! Like always, I'll respond to each individually (just b/c you guys are worth it)! To the reviewers: To mo: Read and see amigo. To tdwt alex: well here it is! To Frappucina: Yeah, I'm glad I did too. That's a good suggestion, I completely forgot about that! I think I already told you on Formspring who's coming to help. To Strix Moonwing: I guess we're even now, after you had Owen dress as Courtney in the last chapter in YOUR story. I needed to boil my eyes after that one. Hm, I find it interesting that you're not really interested in these guys, just b/c people have been calling them the new DxC, and I know how much you like those two. Hehe, you story with Courtney and Sierra as neighbors was the first time I thought about those two interacting at a significant level, so I definitely thought about it while I was writing for them. Hm, I know a little bit about Fullmetal Alchemist, but I really wonder if Al being locked in the suit was a reference to it. You'd like some DxC Strixpunzel, I'm more than happy to oblige. To Freakazoid123: Glad I could get you to smile again. Hm, Courtney is going to help Al and Heather, but I didn't consider them really becoming friends, but that might not be such a bad idea. Hehe, when my bro read what I wrote, he throughly trounced me and denied everything! Great guesses, and very accurate. Read on to see who exactly they call. To Sierra the crazy girl: That's what I was going for. Owen's not the only one who can pull off weird body gags. To alejandroheather fan: Hehe, I'm surprised by just how popular the Alejandro gargling gag is! I almost didn't include it because I thought nobody would care, but I guess I need to think of more stuff like that! To chris tdwt fan: Well, I kinda said that she wasn't interested in him anymore in the last chp. She's solely helping to get revenge on Chris for years of abuse on the show and also because she's worried that Chris might be able to do the same to her and rest of the contestants that he did to Al. To codykins 65: Al has a sister? They don't have any contact info for Al, so they're stuck doing this by themselves. To EgoistaSince94: It was wasn't it? Hey, it might be a good idea to ask you guys for other funny or gross images! You guys could suggest them in the reviews and the one I like the most could appear in the next chapter, with the appropriate credit given of course! To ed: I think you meant story. Either way, thanks! To Princess Absahail: Hey Abracadabra! I'm kind of surprised that more people haven't considered the darker qualities behind World Tour's ending, but hey, at least it makes for a good story! I'm glad you like how I've been writing for the characters so far, because I consider crucial for a good story. I love giving Sierra more to do than just chase Cody, because I always saw she had great potential on the show that I don't think was fully explored. To Alexex: Thank you for reviewing all the chapters! I also thanks for catching those typos (I always miss a few), I'll correct them as soon as I can. As for length, this one's a whopper, so tell me if you like it better this length or shorter. To popdiva 24: Thank you, hope you enjoy this chp too! Now onto the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but do you guys mind?

Chapter 4: Gathering the Troops!

The girls decided that they would need a better location to discuss their plans, so Sierra immediately volunteered her guest room, also known as The Unofficial Total Drama Museum.

Courtney and Heather absentmindedly agreed, not seeing any harm in the choice. They took Courtney's car to Sierra's house, which happened to be relatively close to the park.

Courtney drove, Sierra sat next to her in the front, typing away on her phone, while Heather stretched out and made herself comfortable in the back.

After they reached Sierra's house, Courtney headed towards the telephone, while Sierra directed Heather towards the guest room. Once they were there, Sierra told Heather to make herself comfortable, while she headed to the kitchen to get some snacks.

As Heather entered the large room, she silently cursed her inability to have foretold that the interior Sierra's house would a direct reflection of its owner: uncomfortable to be around and downright creepy.

The outside of the house had been a pleasant enough shade of light yellow with violets and hydrangea bushes planted in the front. However, the guest room that Heather was standing in at the moment was simply filled to the brim with Total Drama Merchandise.

There were posters all the walls, figures and mugs on the shelves, and even plushes and Total Drama carpeting on the floor.

Heather precariously teetered through the mass of memorabilia and took a seat on a chair that's cushions were emblazoned with the words "Total Drama!" and had a huge picture of Chris McLean's smug, smiling face underneath.

Heather groaned, "Ugh, exactly how much of this stuff do you have?"

"All of it!" Sierra said cheerfully as she came into the room wearing an apron and holding a plate of assorted cookies and a tea set on a tray, of which all the pieces of china had pictures of Chris grinning and winking.

She effortlessly navigated over the various items on the floor, having memorized each pieces location by heart, and set the tray on a table a few inches from where Heather was sitting.

She pulled up her own chair and continued, "I own every single piece of Total Drama merchandise that has ever been produced! This room actually used to hold my mom's collection of Chris McLean memorabilia all the way from back when he was in a boy band. I had wanted her to get rid of _his_ part of all this after he was such a meanie during World Tour, but then I thought about it and the collection just won't feel complete without it."

Heather rolled her eyes before she took a cup of tea and brought it to her lips. The scent of the tea was odd and when she took a sip, it seemed to have an unusual flavor. Heather turned to Sierra and asked, "Hey Sierra? What exactly is in this tea?"

"Oh, it's just something I picked up when we were in China. It was supposed to help me with my Cody-kins problem, but I guess it was a dud."

Heather thought about the flavor of the tea and realized that it been slightly spicy, kind of like jalapeño peppers. The flavor instantly brought back memories of Alejandro and she found holding the teacup close to herself as a dull ache rose up in her chest.

Courtney entered the room and said, "Okay, I just called him. He said he was in the area, so he should be here any moment."

All three girls' heads turned as they heard the doorbell ring. Courtney headed towards the door while Sierra and Heather remained seated. After a few moments Courtney returned with an annoyed expression on her face and Cody walking behind her, wearing a light blue sweater-vest, a white collared shirt, and brown cargo pants. Heather raised an eyebrow and asked, "You called Cody? What can he do to help?"

"I didn't call him. He says that Sierra texted him and told him to come over."

Cody piped up, "She said that it was important."

Sierra rose and drew two chairs more chairs to the table, and Courtney and Cody sat down. Heather was confused by how casual Cody was acting and said, "Wait a minute, since when would you actually answer a text from Sierra? You were the one who tried to vote her off every challenge for stalking you!"

Cody's face turned kind of red and he scratched the back of his head as he responded, "Well if you remember, right after Sierra was eliminated, she helped me get to Hawaii. On our way there we talked things out and I told her I considered her one of my best friends..."

Sierra continued, "So after World Tour ended, Cody and I decided to stay in contact with each other, but Cody said that I had to respect his wishes about 'personal boundaries.'"

"She's really improved! She hardly ever goes through my trash anymore!" Cody stated proudly, as though this was a major accomplishment on Sierra's part.

Heather turned to Sierra and said, "And you're fine with just being friends?"

"Of course!" Sierra chirped merrily as handed Cody a cookie, which he gladly popped into his mouth and began to chew noisily.

"Besides," Sierra added in a low whisper directed at Heather, "My mom says that lots of great romances started from strong friendships."

Sierra turned to back Cody, who had just swallowed his cookie and said, "Would you like some tea to go with that Cody-kins?"

"Sierra, we've gone over this, no pet-names. And..." Cody stared and the tea and bad memories of China and Africa came flooding back to him, "...Uh, no thanks. I don't really like tea. It gives me a headache."

"Suit yourself Cody-k... oopsie! Hehe, I mean Cody," said Sierra, glad to have caught herself and even more pleased to receive a warm smile from Cody.

Heather turned towards Courtney to see if she found this situation as odd as she did, but Courtney merely sipped her tea and shot her a look that seemed to say "Whatever floats their boat."

Courtney sighed as she lowered her cup from her lips and said, "I don't know why you don't like this tea Cody. It gives me such a warm feeling and it has this nice scent that smells likely freshly carved wood."

"Really?" said Sierra, "to me it smells really sweet, kind of like chocolate."

Heather remembered that she had thought the tea had a spicy aroma. She momentarily wondered if the maybe the tea would smell differently for each girl, but as she took another sip, Alejandro's face appeared within her mind.

As if hit with a bolt a lightning, Heather remembered exactly why she was in Sierra's house and was furious for letting herself getting so caught up in pleasantries. She forcefully set her tea down and shouted, "Wait a minute! Why are we just sitting here sipping tea? If what Sierra said was true, then we should be planning how to help Alejandro right now!"

Cody seemed taken aback by Heather's sudden outburst, but then turned to Sierra and asked, "She knows about Al?"

Heather turned to Courtney, shocked by what Cody said, and asked, "HE knows?"

Courtney addressed Cody and said, "Sierra and I have told her everything. She was doing some searching after Chris hinted about Alejandro, but she hasn't found anything useful herself."

Sierra looked meekly at Heather and said, "I told him right after I contacted Courtney. Courtney knows most of the contracts inside and out, but Cody... he's my best friend, and... I trust him."

Heather looked at Cody and asked, "You actually believed her?"

Cody looked down at his lap, avoiding the others gaze as he said, "Well... at first I didn't know what to do think. Sierra has heard some "rumors" about us that have been pretty out there, but she told me that she had talked to Courtney about this as well, and..." he turned and looked Sierra directly in the eyes as he said, "she's my best friend too, and friends trust each other no matter what."

A grateful smile crept onto Sierra's face, but Heather wasn't done interrogating the trio just yet, "Who else knows about this?"

"No one," Courtney responded, "we would all look foolish if Sierra was wrong, but we all might also be in grave danger if she was right. We've all kept this between ourselves. You're the first person we've disclosed this too, and even then we were going out on a limb. Face it Heather, you're not the most trustworthy person we know."

"But if Cody was the only other person who knew, then who did you just call to come here?"

"That would be me," responded a boy's voice from behind Heather. The three girls and Cody all jumped about one foot in the air from the sudden intrusion upon their conversation and Heather turned her head around so quickly she almost fell off her chair.

Standing in the doorway of the room was Duncan, with a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

"Duncan, you almost gave me a heart-attack!" Courtney shouted as she clutched her chest and breathed shallowly, "How did you get in here anyway?"

"The front door was unlocked, so I just invited myself in. I heard Heather shouting from down the hall, so I followed her voice," said Duncan nonchalantly.

He looked around the room, then at the tea and cookies and said, "Cute tea party, but the decor could use some work." He reached down to examine a Chris McLean plush before chucking it over his shoulder and moving to examine to the other items on the shelves.

Both Courtney and Sierra rose from the table, but while Courtney made her way to Duncan, Sierra made her way to the tossed Chris plush and carefully set it back in its original position.

She turned to Duncan and said in a chilly tone, "Please don't move anything around! My mom has this place specifically spatially categorized, so if you move one thing, then the whole system gets messed up! Also, shoes off mister! You're going to track mud on the carpeting!"

Duncan rolled his eyes, but complied by slipping off his boots and his black jacket. Underneath his jacket was his familiar black skull tee, but he was wearing a long-sleeved green shirt under it and a pair of blue jeans.

Sierra took the boots and the jacket and left the room, while Duncan paused and stared at one shelf in particular. On that shelf was a purple box with a doll inside. Inside the box was a doll with tan skin, brown hair with highlights, a purple ballgown, black gloves, and silver tiara.

Recognition seemed to flash in Duncan's eyes and he began to murmur to himself, "So SHE'S the one who outbid me! Hmph, I should've guessed with a username like Codysfuturewifey..."

Courtney approached Duncan from behind and said, "Duncan? What are you babbling about?"

Duncan turned rather quickly and his face turned a shade very close to that of a ripe tomato. He looked into the face of the girl who match the doll's own exactly and said, "Uh...it's nothing."

Courtney looked over Duncan's shoulder, noticed the doll and said, "Hey! It's one of my Princess Courtney Doll's from Season 2!"

"Oh, you noticed?" said Sierra as she re-entered the room, "That thing wasn't cheap, believe you me. It's one of the rarest items in my collection!"

Courtney's eyes widened, "What? Really?"

Sierra nodded enthusiastically and said, "Because Chris canceled the doll line before they even came out, the ones that were manufactured became rare collectibles! I found one selling online worth a small fortune! It would have been much cheaper, but some idiot with the username Greenmeanmachine kept trying to outbid me, but in the end I got the seller to agree to sell me the Doll on the condition that I also traded him this old, tattered Teddy Bear my mom believed might have belonged to Chris when he was five."

Heather rolled her eyes and said, "Ugh, why did I have to be on the ONE reality show where the primary fan-base is a bunch of psychotics. So now that the delinquent is here, can we please fill him in of the details?"

Duncan and Courtney made their way back to the table, and Sierra pulled up a chair for Duncan. She then handed him a teacup, which he looked at with disdain before asking, "You got anything more… manly to drink?"

"Nope, sorry. So would you like one lump or two?" said Sierra as she waved the sugar bowl in front of him. Duncan sighed as he plopped two lumps of sugar into his tea. He took a sip and smacked his lips as he contemplated the flavor.

He turned to Sierra and asked, "Is this Jasmine tea?"

"I don't think so, why do you ask?"

"Smells just like Jasmine flowers…" Duncan murmured as he looked in Courtney's direction so that the others didn't know if he was referring to the tea or her, "…anyway, Ms. CIT here said that this was going to be a paid job."

"What?" cried Heather indignantly, "You were the only contestant to have actually won a season AND keep his winnings and you still want to be paid?"

"My dad put all my winnings into a savings account. I can't touch the money until I'm eighteen years old, so I'm stuck having to do small jobs like this to make a little pocket money."

Heather turned to Courtney and shot her a glare before asking, "Why did you call this nimrod again?"

"Because his being a conniving, sneaky lout will actually work to our advantage. Back when we were dating, Duncan informed me that he had some experience with breaking and entering. Given our current situation, those skills would be very valuable."

Duncan didn't know whether to feel offended or proud by Courtney's description, so he asked, "And what exactly is this "situation" that would actually get Courtney to come crawling back to me for my… _unique_ abilities?"

Courtney took one the larger cookies from the tray and rammed into Duncan's mouth, causing the delinquent to almost choke. Courtney glared at him and said, "Make no mistake; this is for business, not pleasure. Now stuff it and let me explain. It all started when Sierra was contacting the cast for…"

Courtney told Duncan the entire story of Sierra seeing Alejandro in the robot suit, fleeing with the face plate, confiding in Courtney and Cody, and finally about their meeting with Heather.

Heather passed the face-plate towards Duncan after Courtney finished and he went over it with his hands, examining the details.

He looked up from the face-plate to Courtney and said, "Let me guess, the reason you're in on this is that you want to rescue your latino lover so that you can be Mrs. Dead-Donkey?"

"Ugh, why does everyone keep thinking that? The only reason I even _looked_ at him, was because he actually _acted_ like a gentleman towards me after you shattered my heart into a million pieces on _public television_! First I was played by you, then him… geez, I should just swear of men for the rest of my life and join a convent!"

"So…you're not into him?"

"Why would that matter to you of all people?"

"Because… not even _you_ deserve to be with a jerk like that."

"Hey!" Heather shouted angrily.

Duncan turned towards her with a confused look on his face and said, "Speaking of which, why are you here? Last time I saw you, you were tossing dear ol' Al off the edge of a volcano for a million bucks. Why the sudden interest in his wellbeing?"

Heather's face turned a shade similar to her crimson sweater and said slowly, "It's just… Courtney said that if Chris could get away with this for Alejandro, he might be able to do the same to us! Yeah, that's right… and I still have a vendetta against that jerk since he refused to fork over my prize from World Tour."

A teasing smirk crept onto Duncan's face, but all he said was, "If you say so, Heather. So what's the plan for the breakout?"

Sierra passed the white canvas bag to Courtney, who pulled out some blueprints. She laid them out across the table and said to the others, "This is the layout for the building. I got them from the construction company who built the studio. I said that I was doing a report for my architecture class and they bought it."

The blueprints illustrated that there were a complex series of hallways that led to the lowest floor beneath the studios.

Courtney turned to Sierra and asked, "Sierra, while you were following Chris, did you notice any security cameras?"

Sierra vigorously nodded her head and responded, "Yep, there were loads around the place with blinking orange lights. From my own experiences recording Cody's activities I knew that the orange lights meant that the cameras were on, but when Chris started heading downstairs with Chef, he pulled this weird little device. It kind of looked like an electronic garage door opener. He pressed an orange button and all the cameras that were lining the walls stopped blinking, meaning that they were turned off."

Cody looked at Sierra with an angry expression and said, "Sierra, you haven't been recording me throughout the day again have you?"

"Of course not, Cody! That's all in the past and you made your wishes very clear," said Sierra as she passed him another cookie. A relieved expression washed over Cody's face and he happily popped the cookie into his mouth and began to chew noisily.

A mischievous smile crept onto Sierra's face and she whispered softly, "But you never said anything about nighttime though, hehe."

"Yo Romeo," Duncan said to Cody, "without Chris' little gadget, we're going to need to shut those cameras off on our own. Do you have any experience hacking computers?"

Cody smiled confidently and answered, "Dude, I was the tech-geek of the show, remember? I can probably get into their system without even breaking a sweat."

"Yeah, yeah, shows even a fifth wheel can have a use," Duncan shot back nastily. He then turned to Sierra and said, "So Fruitloop, do you remember the general locations of the cameras?"

Sierra nodded eagerly and said, "Indeedy! I've got a photographic memory! I inherited it from my great-grandfather! It helped him find his way home when he got lost in the German wilderness! He followed different animal droppings he had remembered seeing along the way until he made it back to civilization!"

"…Fascinating," Duncan said in a sarcastic tone, "Anyway, you'll be working with Shrimpy in shutting off the cameras and guiding Princess and me towards the basement to find the contracts."

"Yay, I get to help Cody!" Sierra shrieked as she pulled Cody into a bear hug, while Heather shouted, "Contracts? I thought we were busting into the studio to rescue Alejandro?"

Duncan chuckled, then said, "I thought _you_ said that you were more worried about what Chris had in our contracts rather than what had happened to Al."

Heather paused, realizing her foible, but she quickly attempted to save face by retorting, "I am, it's just… you know… since we're there we might as well pick him up. It's kind of like going to the supermarket for milk and then you remembering you should pick up some eggs while you're there. Besides, why do you need Courtney's help with the contracts?"

"Duh, because she's got the most legal know-how out of all of us. Who better than a future lawyer to see if there's something funny going on with the contracts. Anyway, since you're so keen on finding Al, that'll be your job."

"Hmph, as if I could trust any of you slackers to do it anyway."

Duncan turned to Courtney and asked, "You cool with all of this, Princess?"

"I must admit, I'm impressed by how well you've planned this entire thing out, there's just one little thing…" Courtney drew her hand into a fist and punched Duncan straight in the shoulder. He winced in pain while Courtney glared daggers at him and continued, "I'm not your Princess anymore."

A/N: Ugh, and THIS people, is why I don't write long chapters. The only reason this one is so long is just because some of you said it might make for a better read. Based on the _**reviews**_ for this chapter, I'll see whether I keep writing them this length or not. Well, looks like the gang's finally gotten around to making a plan to save Alejandro. I sent a preview of this chapter to a friend of mine, who said she liked the parts with the tea. In case you guys didn't recognize it, that tea was from the Chinese episode of World Tour where the old lady gave it to Sierra to help her win over Cody. The episode showed that Cody was having an allergic reaction to it, but I wanted to explore how the others might react to it if it had any potency. What I came up with is that the tea itself doesn't _cause_ love, but instead gives off a scent and flavor that reminds the person drinking it about who they love or what they find attractive. For Heather, the spicy aroma represents Alejandro, for Courtney, the carved wood aroma represents Duncan and the carved skull he gave her in Season 1, for Duncan, the Jasmine flower scent represents Courtney, just because that's what I think she would smell like (check out my other story Spooktacular for a more thorough description), and finally for Sierra, the sweet, chocolatey scent represents Cody (the boy had a major sweet tooth). One idea that I'm currently playing with is that the tea didn't have an effect on Cody because he _didn't_ love Sierra, but as their relationship develops, he might begin taste the tea a little differently (wink-wink). One other thing I think I should address is that this story is taking place AFTER World Tour, so technically Duncan is dating Gwen right now. A few of you may now be asking, then why is he showing some interest in Courtney? Well, I'm going to address that more thoroughly next chapter, where Gwen, LeShawna, and Trent will be making their first appearances in this story!

Anyway, like I said before, please tell me what you guys think about the new chapter length in the _**reviews (please leave them, just because I do love them so)**_, because it will help me determine how long to make future chapters! Also, thank you to guys who have recently favorited and put this story on your story alerts as well!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: (IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ) Well guys, I feel really sheepish about something. I have known about the review reply feature on this site for forever now and have even had other authors reply to my reviews, but it NEVER once occurred to me to use the feature for myself! One of the reviews noted that the review responses I have in this author's notes do tend to take up a lot of room, so from now on I'll be answering back reviews through the review reply feature so that I can talk to you guys more directly about your opinions! For those of you who don't have accounts or review anonymously, you guys shouldn't feel left out, because I'll continue to respond to your reviews in the author's note at the beginning of the chapters for all my stories.

Well now that that was settled, this will be the last time I'll responded to each review for the last chapter in the author note, just because I'll start the review procedure I discussed above for the _next_ chapter (and for Spooktacular as well).

To freakazoid123: I wanted Sierra's house to be a metaphor for herself. Pleasant on the outside, but a little nuts once you look inside. Glad you recognized the tea. I can see where you're coming from with Courtney calling Noah rather than Duncan, but as another reviewer said, "Who better than a straight up juvie to head a break-in." But don't be discouraged, I was discussing a plot trend with my bro that will bring Noah into the story and make him critical to one of the subplots.

To mo: If you've read my other stuff, you would see that I'm a DxC shipper, but I must disagree with the idea that Duncan would cheat on Courtney simply because she was too "perfect" compared to him. Courtney has shown that she a strong, if not flawed character in her own right, who has made her fair share of mistakes as well. If these two get together here, it will require both of them to learn from their individual pasts and really examine what they want for their own future happiness.

To Alexex: You have no idea how happy you made me when you said that the chp kept your attention through the whole thing. I liked my short chps b/c I felt that I didn't want to lose the core of the story through rambling, but I honestly think that writing these longer chps has helped my style as a writer evolve and I'd like to thank you for that. Yep, I wanted Duncan arriving to make everyone do a doubletake, but hopefully his organization of the plan to save Al showed why his needs to be there. Witty and I love your idea for Cody and the flavor he perceives with tea changing at the end. I think I'll include it, though I just may tweak a thing or two.

To EgoistaSince94: Yeah, I think that the love potion in Harry Potter was a source of inspiration for the tea, since they are both supposed to evoke love. I'm a DxC fan too, but Courtney's not going to take Duncan back in a heartbeat just because he's showing some interest in her. Those two have a lot of things to work out before they can move on to a reconciliation.

To Princess Absahail: Awe, thanks Abby! I just don't get how some fans can hate Sierra so much (you'd be surprised by how many do). I think that those of us who love her can she that she is inherently a good person, but she just doesn't know how to show love without suffocating the person she's interested in. By respecting Cody's need for space, he can finally stop running from her and take a minute to clearly see the sweet, kind, funny girl that she is. Hehe, Sierra will be more useful to the mission than you think! Just wait! I'll try to parody some spy movies, but to be honest, I've never actually seen one. If we could throw around some ideas on Formspring, that would really help me out.

To talktothewalls: I've been developing ideas for this story and this one may end up even longer than my Halloween one! Although AleHeather is at the core of this story, I will be examining quite a few other relationships as well, just because these characters are just so amazing to write for.

To D0ll: Hey Erica, I'm glad you liked Sierra's house and the love tea. I wish we could have actually seen her house in the show. As for using it on Cody, when she did expose him to the tea, he had an allergic reaction, but I think I do have a good idea on how to incorporate that into the story. Interesting note on Heather having already noticed a bond forming between Cody and Sierra on the show, but that didn't necessarily mean she was aware that they had agreed to become best friends while traveling to Hawaii, so I guess I just had her make an objective observation of the relationship (which allow helped the readers understand the scene more clearly as well). As for Duncan, he's avoided Courtney after their breakup because he knew she was out for blood. I get that he's dating Gwen now, but this chp will show that things aren't going so great between him and Gwen. Moreover, he did note that he was doing this job due to the fact that he would be paid for his services and he is the best qualified to help them with this type of thing. Hehe, Courtney doesn't realize that Duncan might still have some feelings for her, so it would not occur to that he WOULD bid on a doll of her's. Also, here's a bit of a spoiler, but the doll will have some significance later in the story.

To anonymous: Hm, sounds like something Lindsay would say, though I can't quite place it. Maybe you could give me a hint? I'm glad you like the new chp length and based on everyone's positive responses, I've decided that this will be the new approximate length of all the chps from now on.

To : Thanks for your awesome review! I began to like the idea of a relationship developing between Cody and Sierra during the Episode Aw Drumhellar, just because it showed that even though Sierra behaves eccentrically, she will always be there for Cody and give him the love and support even he doesn't believe he deserves. She makes him realize that he's worth more than other people make him out to be and that's why I think that if she learns to respect his need for personal space, she would eventually win him over. As you might have read above, I'm taking care of the A/N thing. I'm so sorry I haven't messaged you back, but things have been a little hectic for me recently. If you really want to talk, you could always head over to my Formspring page, where I often talk about my story ideas and even give out spoilers, but if you'd prefer talking through fanfiction, that's fine by me too.

To codykins: Interesting idea, but these guys are more than capable of rescuing Al now that they have a general idea of where he's being held. Hm, I can't imagine a girl who would look like Al. He just seems so masculine I can't translate those features well onto a feminine form.

To sierra the crazy girl: I think we can all safely assume that Sierra's a big ol' romantic at heart. Even if the love tea didn't work, her hope to one day have Cody return her affections would probably lead her to hold onto it (plus it could be considered another Total Drama momento)!

To princess frappy: I think one of your previous reviews had noted that the characters (or was it just Sierra?) should say things that really reflected their personalities, so I tried really hard with that in the last chp (plus it made for great humorous dialogue). Glad you liked the tea as well, it seems to have been a fav moment among you and the other readers. As for the spacing, I used to write REALLY long, blocky paragraphs, so I guess I was trying to avoid that by doing the exact opposite. I'll try to keep your suggestion in mind, but there still may be a lot of single lines, just because that's how dialogue is written.

To Strix Moonwing: Howdy Strixpunzel! I can see what you're saying about the differences between Al x Heather and Duncan x Courtney as couples, but I guess the comparison arose simply based on the observation that each couple exhibited a love-hate relationship. As for the differences between the couples, Al and Heather challenged each other, which forces them both to bring out the best (or worst) in each other, while Duncan and Courtney, despite their superficial differences, used to take comfort in each others' presence. Of course Season 3 kicked the later relationship straight out the window, but heck that's what fanfiction is for. I'm glad you liked the tea and Sierra's house as well. Despite the weirdness of the environment, I really believe it created a meditative ambiance that allowed to characters to look at themselves introspectively. Hehe, I feel that if this story was a comic, I'd put a thought bubble after Duncan said she didn't deserve a jerk like Al, which would read, "You deserve a jerk like me." Hm... I might use that later. One of the reviews above covers my feelings on Cody and Sierra, so just check that out rather than I repeat here all over again. As for the grandfather story, I think I may have had a little inspiration from the old show Hey Arnold! with that one. It felt good to write Duncan as a leader in this chp, just because so many people are focused on the romance triangle that they tend to ignore other aspects of his character.

To mende5525: Awe, Thank you! I actually loved your story Vegas, which I read before I had an account on this site. I wonder if I ever went back and left a review. Either way, it's nice to see that authors of stories I like appreciate my work.

Well, that's all the reviews. Let's get the disclaimer out of the way and start this bad boy up!

Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama. I believe a Canadian gentleman named Mark Thorne does.

Chapter 5: The Grass Isn't Always Greener on the Other Side

While Heather and the others were finalizing the details of their plan to break into the studio where Alejandro was being held, Gwen was getting ready to go home after an afternoon of painting at the local community center. Gwen was a regular there, since it was a quiet place to work and the people were generally friendly enough.

LeShawna had actually been the one to suggest the place to her after Season 1, for that was where LeShawna had created a volunteer program where teens could hang out with grade school kids whose parents were not able to be home for them after school.

Most of these children's parents had to work late shifts, but LeShawna's program offered them a place where they could head after school to get help with their homework, play sports outside with their friends, watch old movies on rainy days, and sometimes Gwen would even help out by giving the kids basic art lessons.

Gwen had chosen to paint alone that day in one of the unoccupied rooms, and was wearing her favorite pair of black knee-high boots, a black skirt that went past her knees, a midnight blue long-sleeved shirt with an olive green t-shirt underneath, and her hair was tied up in a ponytail.

Just as she finished putting her brushes away, the door opened and LeShawna came inside. LeShawna was wearing a bright orange top decorated with prints of green apples by her chest and a pair of brown khaki pants, and she looked thoroughly exhausted as she pulled up a nearby chair. She wiped the sweat from her brow, and said, "Whew, the last kid was just picked up. Y'know, sometimes I think that if Chris had wanted to put us through a _real_ challenge on that show, he'd just have to lock us in a room filled with ten-year olds _after_ they all drank some soda. I swear one of the kids almost managed to scale the wall just now. Remind me why I ever decided to start this program again?"

Gwen was clearly amused by her friend's exhaustion and said, "Oh come off it LeShawna, you know that those kids are crazy about you."

"Yeah girl that's true… and I love them all to pieces as well. I just wish that I wasn't sore from top and bottom after I was done chasing after them all afternoon."

"Well, maybe a smoothie would alleviate your suffering? My treat?"

LeShawna smiled, then struck a melodramatic pose with her arm over her forehead as she said, "I do suppose it could ease my pain… if only for one day."

"One day is all your getting, and next time it's your treat… it's not like I've actually won a season on Chris's torture-fest of a show so that I have money to burn."

"Yeah, but your new boyfriend has. Speaking of which, how are you and Duncan doing?"

The warmth immediately left Gwen's face and suddenly she seemed quite preoccupied with the floor as she said, "We're doing… good."

It was then LeShawna noticed that Gwen's painting was still standing on the easel behind her. On the canvas was a large blue rose on a stretch of green grass, but the rose's stem had been snapped, thus the poor flower was hanging helplessly against a black background as drops of rain painted silver dripped off the forlorn petals.

A look of concern immediately spread over LeShawna's face as she rose from the chair and approached her friend. She tenderly put a hand on Gwen's shoulder and said, "Gwen… look me in the eyes."

Gwen's head hesitantly rose but there was no hiding the fact that her eyes were pink and seemed to be fighting back tears. After being friends for quite a while now, LeShawna knew that Gwen poured her heart into her art, and if that painting was any indication of how things were right now, then Gwen was seriously hurting.

Gwen brought her hands to her face and wiped her eyes, not wanting LeShawna to see her like that. She forced a weak smile to her face and said, "Let's go get those smoothies."

oxoxoxoxox

The two girls walked to the smoothie store in relative silence. Gwen certainly wasn't in a talking mood after they left the community center and LeShawna didn't push the issue. She knew that Gwen would open up to her eventually, she just needed to calm down a bit.

A bell above the door chimed as the two girls entered the smoothie store and saw that the place was filled with other teens. There was a lot of laughter and light chatter going on around them as the two girls made their way to the counter. The girl behind the counter pulled out a pen from behind her ear and asked, "What'll ya have?"

"One Blueberry Blitz for me please," answered Gwen, while LeShawna said, "and I'll have an Orange Explosion."

"Your drinks will be ready in a few minutes. Why don't you two have a seat in the meanwhile?"

Gwen paid for the drinks while LeShawna turned and spotted a table close by. She then looked to Gwen, who said, "You go ahead, I've got to head to the ladies' room."

LeShawna nodded and headed towards the table, while Gwen went the other way. As LeShawna sat down, she heard the bell over the door chime again, meaning that someone else had entered the store. She didn't look up to see who it was, but her eyes widened when she heard a familiar voice say, "Hi, I'll have one Nine Fruit Knockout please."

LeShawna turned to face the counter, and sure enough, she saw the familiar voice had belonged to Trent. He was wearing an open red, plaid button down shirt that revealed a white t-shirt with a black handprint, a pair of black jeans, and his guitar was slung across his back.

As Trent turned to find a seat LeShawna began waving and said, "Hey Music-Man, longtime no see!"

Trent spotted LeShawna and a smile spread across his face. He walked over, sat down, and said, "Hey LeShawna! Fancy running into you here! It's good to see you."

"Good to see you too. I didn't know you lived around here."

"Well, I don't exactly live close by, but I do give guitar lessons at a place close to here, so once and a while I stop by to get a smoothie. How about you?"

"I live fairly close by, though I actually just came from the community center right by here with Gwen."

"Gwen? She's here too?" As Trent heard Gwen's name, he immediately began running his hands through his hair, trying to make it look more presentable than its current shaggy state.

LeShawna took note of Trent's actions and chuckled to herself. Even though she was a dear friend to Gwen, she had never approved of how quickly Gwen had broken things off with Trent.

Sure the guy had a few weird tendencies, but after her own experiences with Harold, LeShawna saw Trent's fascination with the number nine as an innocent enough offense, especially since he had revealed that it had nothing to do with Gwen, but instead his love for his grandfather.

LeShawna had tried to talk to Gwen after the whole mess, but the experience of having let Trent grow so close to her and then dumping him on public television had really shook the poor girl up. Gwen said that she needed some time to be on her own to think things out, however, soon after that she had begun to hang out with Duncan.

LeShawna had warned Gwen that getting closer to Duncan was dangerous, especially since Courtney wasn't one the most understanding souls that they knew, but Gwen insisted that she and Duncan were just friends. Time had passed since the end of Season 2 and Gwen seemed to return to a state of normality, where she poured her energy into her art work and her vlogs campaigning for environmental causes.

However, after Duncan and Courtney had broken up, whenever LeShawna spoke to Gwen, the latter would always somehow find a way to bring up how bad she felt for Duncan since his breakup. When LeShawna tried to pry deeper into why Gwen felt so strongly on the subject, Gwen simply said, "I recently went through a big breakup too, remember? I know how painful it can be… how much you could really use a friend after something like that."

Season 3 had started soon after and had brought another whirlwind of emotions as both Gwen and Courtney mourned Duncan's withdrawal from the competition. LeShawna had been there for Gwen as much as she could until that snake Alejandro had tricked her into getting booted out of the competition, but she had been shocked to see that Courtney had filled her niche on the show by growing closer to Gwen.

LeShawna had begun to wonder if she and Gwen had misjudged the uptight CIT, but after Duncan returned, he ruined the friendship between Gwen and Courtney with that damn infamous kiss.

Since the end of Season 3, LeShawna had tried to be as supportive as she could of Gwen and Duncan's new relationship, especially when she remembered how vulnerable Gwen had been after losing Trent, but her instincts told her not to trust Duncan.

Duncan had been one of the fiercest competitors on the show, so it wasn't as though he was completely inept at manipulating others, but what really concerned LeShawna was the way he had broken things off with Courtney. He had simply gone behind Courtney's back and kissed Gwen, hoping that she wouldn't find out and that Gwen would not tell her new friend about his betrayal. LeShawna was a romantic down at heart, but as her cousin LeShaniqua always said, "Girl, a leopard don't change his spots, a skunk don't lose his stripe, and a cheater don't ever quit."

LeShawna dared not share her theory with Gwen, but what could honestly stop Duncan from cheating on her, just like he had done with Courtney? If she used some lame excuse like he had said that he loved her, well… he had once told that to Courtney too, hadn't he?"

LeShawna stared across the table and saw Trent's eyes darting around, looking for Gwen. The girl who had taken their orders approached the table with three drinks and said, "Let's see, that's one Orange Explosion, one Nine Fruit Knockout, and… is there a Blueberry Blitz for this table as well?"

"Yeah, just leave it here. She'll back in a second," LeShawna answered.

The server nodded and headed back to the counter. LeShawna turned to Trent and said in a low voice, "Trent… can I confide something to you?"

Trent stopped looking around for Gwen and a concerned expression came onto his face as he said, "Yeah, sure. Is something the matter?"

"Well, nothing's wrong with me, but… I think Gwen's having a rough time with Duncan."

"What? Is she alright? Has he done anything to her?" LeShawna was surprised by the sudden ferocity in Trent's voice. He looked absolutely livid at the idea that Gwen had suffered any kind of unhappiness at Duncan's hand.

"Whoa Tiger, cool your jets. I don't think he's done anything serious. It just seems like Gwen isn't as happy as she thought she would've been when she first started dating him."

"Pfft, I could've told you that. Did you guys see how he made everyone believe that I liked the number nine because of Gwen? He had no clue what he was talking about and he completely freaked her out in the process. I never understood what she could've saw in a guy like that."

"You mean a guy who was so different from you?" said LeShawna coyly. Trent's face immediately turned a brighter shade of red than the strawberries in his smoothie and he struggled to find the words to ask LeShawna why she would think something like that.

LeShawna chuckled at the poor boy's awkwardness before saying, "Relax Sugar, I'm on your side. I don't trust Duncan, especially after I saw how he chose to end things with Courtney; however, I still have no idea how bad things are between Gwen and him as yet, but I think you might be able to help me out with that."

"Yeah? How so?"

"When Gwen comes back, we'll both attempt to coax the story of what's been going on between them out of her. I tried earlier, but she just won't talk. You two reconnected a little at the end of Season 3, so maybe if we both try, she'll finally spill… plus you would look like a real sweetheart for listening to her problems."

"A sweetheart?" said Trent as he imagined Gwen calling him that then planting a kiss on his cheek. He blushed once again and stammered, "W-Well, it _would_ be the gentlemanly thing to do."

"Well then get your pokerface face on Romeo, because I think I see her coming now!" said LeShawna with her head turned toward the ladies' room.

Gwen walked over to the table and said to LeShawna, "Sorry I took so long! Are the smoothies here as ye…" Gwen paused when she saw Trent sitting across from LeShawna, and then said, "Trent? Uh… Hi. When did you get here?"

"Oh, Hey Sweet…" Trent froze, and then clasped his hands over his mouth, barely managing to keep word 'sweetheart' from escaping his lips. Trent silently cursed himself before lamely trying to save grace by saying, "Uh… Sweet! The smoothies are here! Oh, Gwen you're here too!"

"Uh, yeah… I came with LeShawna. I was just kind of asking when _you_ arrived."

"Oh… right. I, uh, I just got here. LeShawna waved me over, so I grabbed a seat. I hope you don't mind."

"No, it's cool," Gwen answered as she sat down next to LeShawna, "So, what are you doing here?"

"I was giving lessons at a place by here. Mostly I'm just teaching beginners, but it helps me earn a little pocket money."

"Really, I thought that you were well-off after all those album sales from the Total Drama Brothers?"

"Well, not exactly. The sad truth is that the record label made most of the profits from our albums. They paid for nearly all of our expenses while we were still making a profit, but once our album and concert ticket sales tanked after we broke up, they gave us the boot."

"Yikes. That must have been harsh."

"Heh, yeah it was, but I actually think it was all for the best in the end. Before I came on Total Drama, I wanted everyone to hear my music and feel a connection to it, but once Harold, Cody, Justin and I were in the Total Drama Brothers, all we ever cared about was who was the biggest star. Losing my fame has shown me that if I ever do get a chance to make it big again, it will be all about my music and its message."

Gwen nodded and said, "I really hope that happens. I remember some of your songs from Season 1, before you joined the boy band. Those songs were so sweet, and I always felt like sketching after I listened to them."

"Speaking of sketches," said LeShawna, "Have you seen Gwen's latest painting? It's really spectacular."

Gwen shot LeShawna a terrified look and quickly said to Trent, "Oh no! It's nothing really. You shouldn't waste your time…"

"I would never think that your art is a waste of time Gwen. You're one of the most talented artists I know. I would love to see your work."

Gwen blushed at the compliment, and then reached over to the case where she was carrying her painting. She passed the case over to Trent, who opened it and removed the canvas. His eyes poured over the painting, taking in the brokenness of the rose, the midnight blue shade of the petals, and how the raindrops clung to the rim of the rose so that it looked like the flower was crying, mourning its own broken state.

Trent looked up to Gwen, whose eyes were down as she aimlessly stirred her straw around in her smoothie. Trent said slowly, "Gwen… this is really beautiful."

"…Thanks, the idea just… just kind of came to me I guess."

"But, it looks so sad. Gwen… is everything okay?"

"Yeah, things are good… mostly. I mean…" Trent looked Gwen with an expression that clearly showed he wasn't convinced. Gwen sighed, looked away, and said quietly, "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Gwen, you know that I've always been there for you. You can me tell anything."

LeShawna placed her hand on Gwen's shoulder and said, "The same goes for me too, but we can't help unless you tell us what's up. No matter what it is, me and Trent have got your back."

It was as though all of Gwen's strength left her at the moment, as her tears began to fall freely. She tried to cover her eyes with her hands, but the tears still rolled her down her cheeks. Trent reached towards the napkin dispenser at the far end of the table and grabbed a few napkins, then handed them to LeShawna. LeShawna handed them to Gwen, who wiped the salty droplets away.

After her face was clear, she looked up to both her friends and said, "It's Duncan."

Trent's brow furrowed as he said, "Is it serious? Has he done something to you?"

"No, no! It's nothing like that! It's just that… recently we've been really drifting apart. We both took a big chance by starting this relationship, where I gave up my friendship Courtney and Duncan gave up his relationship with her. At first I felt really bad, but the way she behaved afterward almost made me feel like she deserved it. I reasoned to myself that if she had driven him away, then why shouldn't I have a chance to be happy?"

"So were you?"

"Things were really good at first! Since we had been friends for so long, we just felt really comfortable around each other. We would always have fun watching movies, talking about goth and punk fashion, and sometimes we would pull pranks on people. But after we had done those things a couple of times, I think that we both got kind of bored of it. It was always kind of the same thing, y'know?"

"Then what happened?"

"I thought I'd try to show him some of the art I liked, but he just couldn't get into it. There were also times he would talk about some of the things that he had done before we met, like pranks he played with his brothers and sometimes he would complain about his dad. Whenever he talked about those things, I always felt like he was expecting a certain type of reaction from me or that I would have the answers to his problems. Whenever I answered in a way that I don't think he was expecting, he would shake his head and change the subject."

"So that's what has been troubling you?"

"Yes, but that's not the only thing. Recently, whenever I ask if he wants to meet up, half the time he says that he doesn't feel like it or that he's doing a small job."

"Wait, he's working? Did he already blow through his prize from Season 2?"

"No. His Dad put it away in an account, he can't touch it until he's legally an adult but that's not what's important! The thing that worries me is that he never tells me any details about any of these 'jobs.' I'm beginning to think that it's all just a cover. I… I… think he may be cheating on me!"

After having said that, a fresh wave of tears fell from her eyes. Gwen buried her face in the napkins, not wanting her friends to see her in such a pathetic state. She let out a low moan and then said, "I basically ruined my reputation on public television for him! Everyone kept on calling me 'New Heather' after that kiss, even Heather herself! I was so quick to think that Courtney didn't deserve him that I acted selfishly, but… now the exact same thing might be happening to me!"

Gwen was sobbing very hard now and even a few of the other patrons in the store were beginning to take notice. LeShawna wrapped her arms around Gwen and helped the crying girl to her feet. Trent rose from the table as well and the three teens quickly exited the smoothie store to continue their discussion more privately, leaving their drinks relatively untouched.

The trio headed into the vacant alley right next to the store and LeShawna continued to comfort Gwen, gently patting her on the shoulder and saying, "There, there, it's alright. You go on and let those tears out. Let them and their sadness wash right out of you."

After a few minutes, Gwen managed to regain her composure, but she still looked completely miserable as she sat on the hard concrete floor and said, "I have absolutely no idea what to do. Just the idea of him cheating makes me feel sick to my stomach."

LeShawna gingerly sat down next to Gwen and said, "Girl, are you sure that he's cheating? Do you have any evidence at all?"

"No. I mean, I don't think so."

"Well then that's our first order of business then."

"Our?"

"Like I said Honey, me and Trent are here for you. Through thick and thin."

"But what could you two possibly do?"

"Next time that Punk says he's got to do a 'small job,' you follow him and call me and Trent. If he's really cheating on you, we'll all catch him in the act and we'll stand by you when you give him what's coming to him!"

"But what if he's not cheating?" asked Gwen, who sounded slightly hopeful at the idea.

Trent answered this time, as he kneeled down facing Gwen, "Then at least you'll finally figure what all this secrecy is about. Even if he's not cheating on you, if it's still really bad, just call us and we'll help you out no matter what."

Gwen looked directly into Trent's emerald eyes and softly asked, "You would really do that for me?"

Trent nodded with a reassuring smile on his face. The next second he almost had the wind knocked out of him as Gwen rose quite suddenly and wrapped her arms around him. Holding him close to her, she buried her head into the crook of his neck and whispered, "Thank you."

A/N: Well that had to be one of the most emotional things I ever wrote. Anyway, for those of you who are confused, the 'small jobs' that Gwen keeps talking about, those are the various (and sometime illegal) activities of Duncan. The guy IS a juvenile delinquent, so its not so far-fetched to imagine he's still getting his hands dirty, but things will certainly take an interesting turn in the next chapter when Gwen attempts to follow him and finds out that his 'job' includes are bunch of her old castmates (including a former CIT). In writing this chp, I realized that LeShawna is one of the weakest characters on the show. She just doesn't stand out for anything except being Gwen's support against Heather and dealing with Harold crushing on her. I thought I'd pry a little into the 1st of those two traits by showing LeShawna's thought process on the CxDxG triangle and showing how she sets the cogs into motion for Trent to act as a support for Gwen, but also tried to do so without her really taking over the situation. The best way to make sure that LeShawna wasn't exerting too much control over the situation was to highlight Trent's own investment in Gwen's well-being. I'm glad that once Gwen was off the show in Season 3, she and Trent had some time to reconnect (I think this chp also does a good job of expressing my qualms on the breakup b/t GxT in Season 2). I've noticed that whenever anybody brings up Trent's relationship with Gwen, like Cody in Season 1 and the aftermath in Season 2, he's shows a rare but impressive violent aspect of himself. Rather than treat this negatively, I felt that this was a source of strength for Trent in his relationship with Gwen, just because I honestly perceive her as a sensitive soul despite her rough demeanor, who really could benefit from someone who has an inner fortitude like Trent, rather than someone who has his own emotional baggage, like Duncan.

My main question to you guys is whether or not Gwen, Trent, and LeShawna should help the others save Alejandro or not (the alternative is that they get there after the rescue). Personally, I don't think they should help, but this story is for you guys, so if you want to see it happen, then I'll try to make it work the best way I can. Either way, Gwen WILL have a lot of questions for Duncan, and let's just say the punk may not have an answer for all of them.

Anyway please leave your _**REVIEWS**_, as they are my primary source of input for developing my skills and they have already helped improve the length of these stories, the tone, and how I can present things more neatly.


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